A Riverside County deputy was struck was a machete while attempting to rescue a juvenile during a domestic dispute on Tuesday, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department reported. The suspect was shot and killed.
On January 3 at 12:56 p.m., deputies responded to a domestic dispute in the 800 block of Minor Street in the City of San Jacinto. The female reported her boyfriend was behaving erratically and armed with a machete.
The female was able to escape from the residence: however, the suspect prevented her 12-year-old child from leaving with her and barricaded himself and the juvenile inside the residence, the department said. When deputies attempted to rescue the juvenile, the suspect hit the deputy in the head with a wooden object, causing a minor injury, and then swung the machete at another deputy.
The Special Enforcement Bureau responded to assist with the rescue of the juvenile. During the rescue, the suspect struck a deputy with the machete and a deputy-involved shooting occurred.
The juvenile was uninjured and safely removed from the residence. The suspect was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. One deputy was treated on scene for his injuries and the other was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The names of the suspect and the involved deputies were not released.
An investigator from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will lead this investigation, aided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Force Investigations Detail. This is an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Riverside County District Attorney Investigator J.R. Ferrer or Riverside County Sheriff’s Investigator Nelson Gomez at 951-955-2777.